9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
by SSBFreak
Summary: Loosely based on the DS game of the same name. Nine strangers wake up on a ship and realize that they must work together in order to escape alive. Panic sets in when they see that they're each given a numbered bracelet and they aren't alone...
1. Waking Up

Chapter One: Waking Up

"Ugh…Man. What hit me?..."

A person held onto their forehead as they slowly started to regain consciousness. Everything was a complete blur, as it all had happened incredibly quickly. However, the person quickly saw that they weren't in their room, or even their apartment. They were instead laying on the top bunk of a bunk bed sitting in what appeared to be a ship cabin with no windows.

"W-What?...Where am I?..." The person asked as they sat upright.

Their senses returned to them, the person looked around confusedly. There was a second empty bunk bed on the other side of the small room, and on further inspection, the bottom bunk of the bed was just as empty. In the room was a small desk with a mirror on the wall above it, but it didn't look very out of the ordinary.

However, what caught the person's eye the most was the door to the room. It looked like an ordinary door, except that a big, red number had been sloppily painted on it with some form of dark red substance. A small device that looked like a card reader was adorning the wall just beside the door.

The person eyed the number that had been painted on the door. "Is…Is that blood?" They asked as they jumped from their bed and rushed to inspect it. The person dabbed the number a couple of times with their finger, but whatever substance had been used to paint the number had long since dried. Reaching for the door handle, the person tried to open the door, only to find it locked.

Quickly wondering what time it was, the person checked their watch, only to realize at the last minute that they weren't wearing a watch, but some sort of skin-tight bracelet that couldn't be moved or rotated on the wrist. Closer inspection showed that there was a digital number on it, ironically the same number as the number that had been painted on the door to the room.

"Where'd I get this bracelet?" The person asked themselves. "And…Why can't I take it off?"

Turning around, the person saw the desk with the mirror. Going over, the person looked into the mirror to examine their face. After a few seconds of staring into the mirror, the person suddenly remembered what had happened.

The person returned to their apartment after a day at work, and just as they were getting settled in, they noticed that one of their windows was opened. As soon as they noticed it, they came face to face with a shrouded figure in a gas mask, who sprayed some kind of knockout spray on them, effectively rendering them unconscious in seconds.

"Have…Have I been kidnapped?" The person asked themselves. "But…Why?"

The person suddenly felt something in their pocket. Pulling it out, they discovered a letter. Unfolding it, the person started reading it, hoping to find some answers.

"_If you're reading this, then you've obviously awoken. You have been chosen to take part in a little experiment and a number has already been assigned to you. You will be filled in more later, but for now, you are probably wondering how to get out of your room. For this door and only this door, you will be required to use numeric key cards that have been hidden in the room. You need to use three of the cards on the reader by the door and if the digital root is equal to the number on the door, it will unlock and open."_

"Digital…Root?" The person asked.

"_If you don't know, the digital root is where you add up a series of numbers to get a two-digit number, and then take the two digits of the new number and add them together. The number you are left with is the digital root. For example, 9 and 7 added together would be 16, so add the two digits of 16, 1 and 6, together to get 7, which is the digital root. You would be wise to remember this information, as there are more doors like this on the ship."_

That was all that the letter read. Placing the letter back in their pocket for now, the person realized that the only thing they could do was find these key cards in the room. Quickly checking the drawers on the desk, the person found these locked as well.

"Okay…The drawers are locked, so that must mean that the key cards are in there." The person reasoned. "So…How do I open the drawers?"

The person suddenly looked up and saw a key, but also saw that it was sealed in a plastic bubble on the wall, bolted to the wall with screws. The person tried breaking the bubble, but to no avail. The only way they were getting that key was by removing the screws.

"How am I supposed to do this?" The person asked, scratching their head. "I probably need to take out the screws to get rid of the bubble…"

The person's eyes trailed down to the small lamp that had been screwed to the desk. Suddenly getting an idea, the person used their fingernail to try and unscrew one of the screws on the lamp. It took a bit, but they managed to get the screw out. Looking at the base of the screw, the person saw that the base had a shaped base rather than a flat one. Closer inspection showed that the shape of the screw's base matched the slot of the screws that were bolting the bubble to the wall.

The person quickly went to work, using the strange screw as a tiny screwdriver. Quickly managing to get a couple of screws undone, the person quickly picked up the pace, and within a matter of minutes, all of the bubble's screws were out and the key could easily be taken. The person did so without a moment's hesitation.

Quickly using the newfound key on the desk, the person unlocked one of the drawers and opened it, revealing nine keycards, each with a number from 1 to 9 on it. The person scooped up all of them and rushed to the door.

"Okay…I need to use three of these." The person mused. "And the digital root needs to match the number on the door…"

Shuffling through the key cards, the person tried to run some math in their head. Looking at the door's number, the person knew what digital root they needed to get to, but the problem was getting there. The person tried running through several combinations, unsure of what to use.

The person started with the 9 card and decided to work up from there. Taking a second card and putting the two together, the person now knew how much more they needed, so they grabbed a third card and registered all three of the chosen cards with the card reader. A friendly beeping noise was heard and the person heard the door unlock. The person wasted no time in opening the door and leaving the cell of a room they had woken up in.

The hallway outside of the door pretty much confirmed it that the person was on a ship of some kind. The hallway was long and was filled with similar doors, likely to other rooms. Deciding that they didn't want to go into another small room after literally just escaping from one, the person ran down the hallway, hoping to come across something that could be of use or help them.

Soon, the person came upon a door at the end of the hallway. Throwing it open with ease, the person ran to the other side, but skidded to a halt when they saw what was on the other side.

They stood in what appeared to be a grand foyer, and the bright lights made it a sharp contrast to the small rooms and dingy hallways. The person didn't see any doors around, but saw that there was a grand staircase in the foyer that branched out in two directions, as well as another door on the middle landing.

However, before the person could take a step up the staircase, they heard voices.

"Hey! There's another one!"

"Is that everyone, then?"

"I think so. That makes nine."

The person looked around and saw two groups of people coming down either side of the stairs towards the middle landing, four from each side. They all seemed kind of flustered and frantic.

"What's going on here?" The person asked as they ran up the stairs to meet with the others.

"No time to explain." One of the others said as they opened the door at the middle landing. "All we know is that we can't get into the rooms upstairs. We'll have to go through here to continue."

"Just come with us." Another one said as they grabbed the person and pulled them through the door.

When the person was released, they quickly found themselves in an open hallway with a few doors. Each one had a different number on them, but that wasn't what concerned the person. What did was that they had stumbled upon a rather large group of people, all seemingly trapped as well.

They had made a group of nine.


	2. Introductions

Chapter Two: Introductions

The nine people stood in the large, open hallway, looking each other over, as if trying to determine if anyone around was threatening. In this group of nine were five men and four women, all of them wearing the same type of strange bracelet. The tension was thick and everyone remained silent, as if daring someone else to speak first. The only thing anyone heard was the heavy breathing coming from a couple members of the group.

The tallest (and, from the looks of things, oldest), member of the group was a large man with strange, orange-blonde hair and a matching beard. He wore a long, green trenchcoat that went down to his knees. He gazed around at the other members of the group, but rested his gaze on the second-oldest man in the group, eyeing him suspiciously. It was clear that he was calm, collected and knew what he was doing, or at least that was what it showed.

The second man, the one being watched by the man in the trenchcoat, was a dark-skinned man with stubble wearing a black bandana, matching black vest and a pair of black pants. His shirt was a deep shade of blood red. Everyone was quick to notice that an eyepatch was covering his right eye. His annoyed expression gave the impression that he was some sort of soldier, but one that had seen many battles…

One of the four women proved to have the loudest clothing. She wore a leather jacket that had the sleeves torn off, and a long-sleeved, green shirt underneath. Her jeans had several tears in them and she had a few ear piercings. She had short, blonde hair, but this hair had multiple-coloured highlights streaking her bangs. It was clear that she was a rocker of some kind, but she looked more annoyed than the soldier so some were afraid to ask at the moment.

The youngest of the group was a teenage boy that looked like he had come out of a futuristic comic book. He wore a bright green shirt and brown pants, along with fingerless gloves. However, it was his headgear that stood out the most. Sitting atop his short, red-brown hair was a pair of headphone that looked like they had antennae. He wore a large pair of sunglasses that seemed to cover half his face, and they, along with his headphones, made him look almost "bug-eyed". He seemed to have a bit of a temper, but his hard breathing showed that he was a riled as everyone else.

The second-youngest was a teenage girl with dirty blonde hair done into a rather large ponytail. She wore a green sweater that had a purple stripe going across the middle horizontally and a pair of jeans. Unlike the rocker, these jeans looked brand new and weren't torn anywhere. She seemed to be panicking the most, and people could see that she was on the verge of breaking down, as tears appeared to be forming in her eyes.

Another of the men looked almost as hysterical as the girl in the sweater. He was tall and lanky, looking so lacking in muscles that he could likely be knocked over with the slightest force. His light brown hair was spiked upwards and his small, brown goatee looked to be coated in his sweat. He wore an orange jacket that was opened to reveal a black shirt underneath and his pants fit him tightly, but most were probably thinking he was cursing himself at the moment for not wearing something with a looser fit…

Standing in between the two oldest men was a younger woman with long, blonde hair done into a braid and wearing a red dress that almost made her look like she was a little more higher-class than the others. Her braid went down to the middle of her back. She seemed to be calm and was trying to keep others under control, but most could see that she was just as scared as the people she was trying to calm.

The oldest of the four woman looked to be in her late-twenties. She was a shorter woman with black hair done into a bun and wearing a burgundy shirt and black pants. Like the bug-eyed boy, she wore a large pair of glasses, although these were normal glasses rather than shades. People suddenly became aware that both of her forearms were covered in tattoos, showing that she was either adventurous or that she was a different person than what her attire said.

The last man was a man in his twenties, wearing a white shirt and a brown vest over it. His light tan pants had a unique style to them, although they were nothing compared to his blonde hair, which held an even more-unique style to it. There appeared to be a loop in his belt for something, but whatever it was, it was missing. His tall stature and calm demeanor gave the effect of him also being a soldier, but more along the lines of some kind of bodyguard.

"Okay…Now that all of us are apparently together, can someone PLEASE explain what's going on?" Spiky said.

"Yeah. I'm still in the dark on that." Rocker replied with a nod.

"I don't know. I just saw that my bracelet had a 9 on it, so I assumed that we couldn't do anything until we found everyone." Bodyguard shrugged.

"What if there are more than nine of us, genius?" Rocker retorted. "You ever think about that?"

"Hey! We had nine key cards to get out of our rooms!" Bodyguard insisted.

"He's right." Trenchcoat said.

"But that still doesn't answer my question!" Spiky waved his arms around. "What are we all doing here?"

"Well, what's the last thing you remember?" Trenchcoat asked.

"Uh…A guy in a gasmask."

Several of the others visibly looked shocked as they all let out a chorus of agreements, saying that they too had seen a man in a gasmask before falling unconscious.

"So that settles it, lads. We've been kidnapped out of our own homes." Soldier folded his arms, giving off a Scottish accent.

"But…But why? And why kidnap us if they were just going to let us loose in this place?" Sweater asked.

"I know. And I'm certainly in no access to any riches or government secrets." Braid sighed.

"Me neither." Bug-eyes agreed. "And what the heck are these bracelets for?"

"I was hoping one of you guys would know that." Tattoos finished. "No one knows anything?"

Everyone remained silent, as if seeing if someone else had the answers they were looking for. Suddenly, everyone heard a loud crackling noise coming from a corner of the room, and they all turned to it only to see a speaker hanging from the ceiling.

"_Greetings to all of you. I'm sure you have many questions, and I will answer as many of them as I can before we begin our little game." A voice said in a masked voice. This was obviously the same one that had kidnapped them from their homes._

"Game?" Soldier asked. "What're ya getting at lad?"

"_You nine have been chosen to take part in a little game called the Nonary Game. Here, the goal is simple: Find a way out. However, the only way out is through the numbered doors scattered around this ship, similar to the ones you encountered in the rooms you were in when you woke up." The voice said. "I am the mastermind behind this game. You may call me 'Zero'. As you can see, you all wear a numbered bracelet, each bearing a number ranging from 1 to 9. You will need these bracelets to get through the numbered doors on the ship."_

Everyone looked at their bracelets, as if determining that there was a number on it.

"_Here's a twist. Your bracelets also act as detonators." Zero continued._

"Detonators?" Bug-eyes asked. "For what?"

"_While you were unconscious, I made all of you swallow a very small bomb. By now, it'll be too far in your digestive tract to vomit out." Zero said. _As if in defiance, several members of the group tried to make themselves throw up, but to no avail._ "However, if you play the game to how the rules are played, you will have nothing to fear."_

"W-What's he getting at?" Sweater demanded.

"_Beside each of the numbered doors is a registration device, or a RED. You press your hand against it and it will register the number on your bracelet. Only 3 to 5 people can register at a RED, and if the digital root matches the number on the door, it will open." Zero said._

The group looked back and saw that there were two numbered doors in the room. They each indeed had a device by them.

"_Only the people that register at a RED will be able to proceed through the door, because as soon as they do, a timer will start counting down. Inside the rooms on the other side of each numbered door is a deactivation device, or a DEAD." Zero said. "You are given 81 seconds to reach the DEAD, register your number and pull the lever on it to stop the timer. If the 81 seconds ends, the bomb inside you will explode. This is why no one who doesn't register at a RED may proceed to the DEAD, because the DEAD won't register their number if they haven't already."_

"That's…That's horrible!" Braid said.

"Why would we even play this game to begin with if it's a matter of life and death?" Trenchcoat demanded.

"_I am making you compete today and you will indeed compete, because I'm putting you on a time limit. I'm giving you nine hours to get off this ship, because the entire storage hull of the ship is filled with explosives and is set to go off in nine hours." Zero explained. "It will go off whether or not you are on the ship, so I suggest you start playing and looking for a way out."_

"Looks like we don't have much of a choice." Bodyguard pointed out.

"_If you can escape this place in that time period, then I won't stop you. You're free to go and you'd have earned your freedom. The bracelets will fall off when you get outside. That I can assure you." Zero said. "If you simply follow the rules I've set before you, you should have no problem getting by. Now that all of the rules are out of the way, let our little game begin…"_

Zero's voice faded out, replaced by more static coming from the speaker.

"Looks like that's it for him." Trenchcoat said. "So what do you suppose we should do?"

"Like what's-his-face said, we probably don't have a choice." Rocker said, jerking her thumb towards Bodyguard.

"Then I guess we should get started." Soldier scratched his head. "What doors do we have here?"

"Hold it! If we're going to work together, I want to at least know everyone!" Sweater insisted. "In addition, we need to know what bracelets we have!"

"Yeah. I'm with her." Spiky nodded.

"I guess we can do some quick introductions." Bug-eyes said. "Who wants to go first?"

Bodyguard stepped forward. "My name is Reed. I'm a soldier in a place called Tinto and I work for the governor's family. More specifically, I work for his daughter, and that can be a bit of a chore in itself. I've long forgotten how many years it's been since I've taken that job." He shrugged. "As I may have already said, I have the 9 bracelet."

Bodyguard, identified as "Reed", held out his arm, as if to prove his point. His bracelet indeed had a 9 on it.

"I'll go next. My name is Sybil Pandemik and I'm what's known as a psychotherapist." Tattoos said. "I've switched occupations more than I can count, but I think psychotherapy is where I excel at the most." She held out her arm. "I've been given the 3 bracelet."

The others inspected Sybil's arm like they did with Reed's she was indeed wearing the 3 bracelet.

Soldier did a light cough. "Ma peers know me as 'Demoman', but seeing the situation we're in, Aye'll give ma real name: Tavish DeGroot." He said.

This caught Sweater's attention. "Wait! Mr. DeGroot? Of DeGroot Demolitions?" She asked.

Tavish lifted his good eyebrow. "Do Aye know ye, lass?" He asked.

"You know my father. He's one of you biggest customers." Sweater replied.

This seemed to bring some memories back. Tavish's eye widened. "Oh! Now Aye remember ye, lass! Yer that wee little girl he brought with him a few times! Oy! You've really grown!" He said.

Everyone else cleared their throats loudly.

"Oh. Uh…Well, Ay'm the CEO of DeGroot Demolitions, one of the biggest companies in the world." Tavish replied. "Ay've got the 1 bracelet."

"My name's Amy Guile. I'm the daughter of Colonel William Guile." Sweater said. "All I can say is that when daddy finds out I'm gone, he'll turn everywhere inside out looking for me. I…I don't know of any real reason I could be taken other for some revenge against my dad." She scratched her head in thought. "Oh! I've…Uh…Got the 8 bracelet."

"I may as well go next." Rocker said. "My name is Sarah Nade and, as you may guess, I'm a rocker girl. Now, I'm not going to hide it. I've done some questionable things and I've got a record. However, if we're going to be working together, you need to know everything about me." She said. "I've got the 5 bracelet."

Trenchocat paused. "Wait. Sarah Nade? Your employer wouldn't happen to be Carmen Sandiego, would it?" He asked.

"Uh…Why?" Sarah asked.

Trenchcoat pulled a badge from his jacket. "Detective Jowd. I've got at least ten years experience in detective work. It's surprising being trapped on a ship with a common crook like yourself." He said.

Sarah's eyes widened. "Crap! A cop? Here?" She asked.

"Don't give yourself a heart attack. Like you said, we're trapped here." Jowd said. "I'm willing to overlook your record if you promise to at least behave around here. Alright?" He asked. He received a silent node from Sarah. "Good. By the way, I've got the 6 bracelet."

Looking at Sarah uneasily, Braid stepped forward. "I am Lilly Kane. I hail from England and my brother was known for being the right-hand man to a crime boss." She said. "However, that's all in the past and the crime boss is long dead by now, so I've been trying to live a normal life away from the crime." She admitted as she held out her arm. "My bracelet has the 7 on it."

Bug-eyes was next. "My real name isn't important. Everyone knows me as 'Beat' anyway. I'm a skater from Neo-Tokyo. I've run into trouble with some corrupt police force just because I spray graffiti over other gangs' turf." He gave a shrug. "Meh. The police force there sucks anyway, even when this evil corporate guy is bribing them." He held out his wrist. "I've got the 2 bracelet."

This left Spiky, who spoke up. "My name is Larry Butz." He said.

Several of the others stifled some snickers. Reed blinked. "You sure you want to go on record with that name?" He asked.

"What? I don't see anything wrong with it." Larry shrugged. "Anyway, like Sybil, I've had trouble finding a career that I can do good in. Let me say that my best friend is one of the best lawyers around. If I get out of here, I am SO filing a lawsuit against this Zero character." He finished by holding out his arm. "By process of elimination, you probably know my bracelet's the 4 one."

The group looked amongst each other, sizing each other up to remember the numbers everyone had.

Tavish DeGroot **(Team Fortress 2)**, obviously some sort of "Demoman", had the 1 bracelet.

Beat **(Jet Grind Radio)**, a teenage rudie from the streets, had the 2 bracelet.

Sybil Pandemik **(Sam & Max)**, a psychiatrist of some kind, had the 3 bracelet.

Larry Butz **(Phoenix Wright)**, with his unfortunate name, had the 4 bracelet.

Sarah Nade **(Carmen Sandiego)**, clearly a convicted crook, had the 5 bracelet.

Jowd **(Ghost Trick)**, a police detective that Sarah (and Beat) seemed apprehensive about, had the 6 bracelet.

Lilly Kane **(Fatal Fury)**, the sister of a crime boss' right hand man, had the 7 bracelet.

Amy Guile **(Street Fighter)**, daughter of a military colonel, had the 8 bracelet.

Reed **(Suikoden 3)**, a common bodyguard for an aristocrat, had the 9 bracelet.

"Now that we all know each other, it raises another question." Beat said. "Why the heck were WE the ones kidnapped? What kind of significance to most of us hold?"

"That's a good question." Lilly mused. "I mean, Mr. DeGroot is the CEO of a big company and Amy's the daughter of a powerful man, but I don't know how the rest of us would fit into the picture."

"Well, I guess we should get started and try to find our way off this ship." Jowd suggested.

The others were about to agree when they heard the door they had just come through open again. Everyone turned as they saw a tenth person standing in the doorway, breathing heavily. People saw that he was an effeminate man with white hair and a red suit. The newcomer looked at the group with a surprised face of freckles.

"You…You're still here?" He asked. "Oh, thank goodness. You're still here."

"Wait. What's going on?" Larry asked. "I thought it was just the nine of us."

"Apparently, we were wrong and Zero lied." Sybil said.

"Who are ye, lad?" Tavish asked suspiciously.

The white-haired man took a deep breath. "My name is Ash Crimson." He explained. "You aren't the only ones trapped here."


	3. Unwilling Guest

Chapter Three: Unwilling Guest

The group of nine stared in surprise at the effeminate man that entered the large room. The white-haired man, identified as one 'Ash Crimson', held his knees and gasped for breath, as if he had recently been running if his life depended on it. Well, if he was in the same boat as the others, then it probably was.

Even still, this wasn't what the group was thinking of. Instead, they were more focused on what Ash had said. He said that they weren't the only ones trapped on this ship, and yet Zero had just pointed out that only the nine of them were playing this strange game.

"So you're saying that there are other people trapped on this ship?" Jowd asked.

"I know there are. I didn't see anyone, but I know they're here somewhere." Ash replied.

"And you're a victim as well?" Amy asked.

"I wouldn't be wearing one of THESE if I wasn't a victim!" Ash insisted, holding out his arm.

Everyone looked and saw a numbered bracelet and saw a 5 adorning it. Sarah stared at her own bracelet.

"Two bracelets with the same number." Sarah mused. "What the heck is Zero doing?"

"Is…Is that what the mastermind's calling himself?" Ash asked.

"Aye. Ye just missed his little spiel about the rules." Tavish pointed out.

"It's…It's okay. I know the rules."

This caught everyone by surprise and this made them more and more interested in the newcomer.

"How do you know the rules?" A suspicious Jowd asked.

"It's not important. What IS important is that I know how this game works." Ash replied. "The game is based around the possibility that only one out of nine people will make it to the end."

"One out of nine?" Lilly asked. "But…Where does that leave the other eight?"

"Dead. This Zero guy must have told you about the detonators already." Ash replied.

Reed paused. "This game's been played before, hasn't it?" He asked.

Ash nodded. "It has."

"And I assume you just so happen to be one of the survivors that played it?"

"Not exactly. I'm not used to playing this side of the game." Ash shook his head. "I'm just glad I caught up with you before you moved on. There's no way I could have gone any further on my own."

The others looked at the numbered doors in the room. One was adorned with a red 4 and the other with a 5.

"If we'd have moved on without you, you'd likely be trapped." Jowd reasoned.

"He's a lucky guy, then." Beat folded his arms.

He tension was thick. It was clear no one really trusted Ash, as he seemed to know more about what was going on than he should have, but no one decided to make their thoughts public.

"So what now?" Sybil asked as she walked up to Ash. "You obviously seem to know what's going on, so why don't you give us a hint on where to go first?"

Ash paused, then smirked. "Actually, I have a better idea." He said.

"Oh? What might that be?" A skeptical Sybil asked, arms on her hips.

"You see, you all seem to think that I'm actually going to stick around and help you all escape." Ash said.

Before anyone to ask what Ash meant by that, he pounced. In the blink of an eye, he had grabbed Sybil and was holding her close to him with one arm. He had pulled a small knife from his pocket (which he had likely found earlier) and held it to Sybil's neck. Needless to say, no one was expecting this.

"Hey! What the heck do you think you're doing?" Beat demanded.

"Let Sybil go, you creep!" Amy said.

"Now listen to me. I'm getting off this ship one way or another and I intend to do it without you. You were all obviously taken for a reason, but I'm getting out of here before I get dragged into it." Ash warned. "Do anything I don't tell you to and I'll slit her throat. It's not like she needs to be alive for the doors to work. I just need her bracelet."

Everyone was visibly mad, but no one made a move to stop Ash, as they didn't want him to hurt Sybil. Ash looked at the two doors and dragged Sybil across the room to the door with the 5 on it, keeping his eyes on everyone else.

"Put your hand on the RED and register your bracelet." Ash told Sybil.

Sybil gulped nervously and placed a shaking hand on the device beside the door. A beeping noise came from the RED and an asterisk appeared on a bar above the device. Ash placed his hand on the device as well and registered the 5 on his bracelet.

Combining Ash's 5 with Sybil's 3 gave the pair an 8. It didn't match the number and they needed one more person to activate the door. Another asterisk appeared on the bar.

"Okay. Who's got the 6 bracelet?" Ash asked.

"That would be me." Jowd replied, stepping forward.

"Okay. Register you bracelet just like she and I did." Ash said. "Come over here slowly and don't try anything."

Jowd, his detective side taking over, didn't want to risk letting an innocent get hurt and did what he was told. He slowly stepped towards the Red, keeping his hands visible to Ash to show that he wasn't going to try anything. After what seemed like an eternity to Sybil, Jowd arrived at the RED. He placed his palm on the scanner of the device and the beeping noise was heard again. A third asterisk appeared.

Now, with Jowd's 6, there was a total number of 14. Adding 1 and 4 gave the digital root of 5, the same number as shown on the door. This meant that the door would open now.

"Okay. Here's how it's going to work. I need you two to register at the DEAD to stop the timers with me when we get to it." Ash said to both Sybil and Jowd. "When I pull the lever on the RED, the door will open and the three of us will go in. After we register at the DEAD, I'll go on ahead."

Ash gave the level at the side of the RED a pull and the 5 door opened, revealing itself to be a steel door. Ash dragged Sybil towards the now-open doorway and started backing in. "I'll take my leave. If you're lucky, you won't see me again. I'm going to get out of this place before it goes too deep." Ash explained. "I can't take the pressure of actually PLAYING this-"

Suddenly, as Ash was backing up, the back of his foot hit the steel doorframe. He hadn't expected this and quickly started tumbling backwards, loosening his grip on Sybil. Jowd took this as his initiative and leapt forward, grabbing Sybil's arm and pulling her away from Ash before she set foot into the room on the other side of the door. Ash tumbled into the room alone, and before he had a chance to get up, the doors closed behind him.

This left the group of nine again, as their newcomer had just abandoned them. Needless to say, they were more worried about Sybil, as they gathered around her.

"Are you okay?" Lilly asked. "He could have killed you!"

"I'm fine. Really." Sybil assured, although sounding fairly shaken.

"How can you be fine? That maniac had a knife to your throat!" Larry insisted.

"That's low, even for someone like me!" Sarah added.

"Aye! Yer a civilian, lass! Ye couldn't have taken him!" Tavish pointed out before turning to Jowd. "That was pretty quick thinking though, lad."

"Yeah. That Ash guy could have taken Sybil into the room with him." Larry sighed.

Sybil shuddered. "Alone with HIM? No thank you." She shook her head. "But thank you, Jowd. You probably saved my life."

"I wouldn't go THAT far." Jowd shrugged.

"Actually, you did. Remember what Zero said?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. He said that all of the people to register at those RED things have to register at something called a DEAD in order to deactivate their…" Sarah started before trailing off.

Sarah ended up glancing at the door. Everyone else did the same. The group quickly rushed over and put their ears to the door. They heard a beeping noise and the panicked voice of Ash Crimson.

"N-No! No! I can't be in here alone! This…This isn't happening!" Ash stammered. "Please! Let me out! I'm begging you! I don't deserve this!"

Reed quickly backed up and rushed over to the RED.

"You're actually thinking of letting him out after what he just did?" Amy demanded.

"Does he really deserve to die like this, though?" Reed challenged. He didn't get an answer and placed his palm against the device. Nothing happened. "Hey! What gives?"

Everyone looked at the RED. On the bar where the asterisks were supposed to be was the word "ENGAGED" written in red letters.

"We can't get in if there's someone in the room?" Beat asked.

"That's probably what it is." Jowd nodded.

"I'm…I'm out of time! N-No! This can't be!" Ash screamed from the other side of the door. "You…You doomed me, you fools! If this is some cheap shot at revenge, then…Urk…Uuuugh…"

Ash gave off a loud scream of pain as a few last beeps were heard from the other side of the door. Suddenly, a muffled explosion rocked the room. The group of nine instinctively threw themselves to the ground, but realized a few seconds later that they weren't in danger. Slowly, everyone got to their feet.

"Was…Was that an explosion?" Lilly asked.

"Did it…Come from the other side of the door?" Beat continued.

Reed looked at the RED again. The word "ENGAGED" was now gone. In its place was the word "VACANT" written in green letters. He experimentally placed his palm on the device again, and this time it registered.

"Okay. I'm not going into the room yet, but I want to at least see what's on the other side." Reed explained. "Uh…Tavish and Larry? Could you register your bracelets?"

Tavish and Larry complied, placing their palms on the device in succession. Reed's 9, Tavish's 1 and Larry's 4 came up with 14, which again brought the digital root to 5. Reed pulled down on the lever by the RED and the door opened.

"Don't step into the room." Jowd instructed. "That may activate your bracelets."

The group waited until the door fully opened, but when it did, they were greeted with a foul stench coming from the other side of the door. The nine people looked in and quickly saw a huge amount of blood splattered along the wall and up the ceiling.

"Oh…Oh, man." Sarah stammered.

"I don't believe it…" Jowd shook his head in stunned silence.

"Zero…He wasn't lying." Reed added.

"He…He blew up." Larry finally said.

Larry was right.


End file.
